


The Realization

by OhNoCows



Series: Gravity-Falls-Girlfriends [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Crush Realizations, F/F, GFGF, Gravity Falls - Freeform, Gravity-Falls-Girlfriends Series, Lesbian Pacifica Northwest, Mabel Pines - Freeform, Oregon - Freeform, Pacifica Northwest - Freeform, Pansexual Mabel Pines, Self-Discovery, Sexual Identity, Thompson Will Do Anything For His Friends, Wendy’s In Here For A Brief Moment, bettering oneself, mabifica, ohnocows, so is Dipper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19967140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNoCows/pseuds/OhNoCows
Summary: Sometimes it happens gradually.Sometimes there’s never been a single doubt in your mind.Either way, you find love with your soulmate at just the right moment.





	1. Frying Pan

**Author's Note:**

> So, this kinda turned into a lot of Pacifica backstory & I’m honestly not mad about it. It’s gonna set up some great stuff in the future, so hang with me through these one-shots with not a ton of dialog. I’m getting there, I promise!
> 
> Rated T for some minor language and references to alcohol. Also, who knows where the other couple chapters of this are gonna go? Best to be safe than sorry. 
> 
> Thanks to MisterBlender for the prompt idea! Much appreciated, friend. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it happens gradually...

It had happened gradually over time...

One of those ‘sneak up on you and suddenly hit you over the head’ type deals...

...almost like you’re whistling down the sidewalk just minding your own damn business when somebody approaches you from behind on their tip toes until they get close enough to whack you in the back of your skull with a frying pan as hard as possible.

_That_ is exactly how Pacifica Northwest discovered that she was head over heels for Mabel Pines.

After Weirdmageddon, things for Pacifica changed. She was a twelve-year-old girl going on thirteen that had just experienced what was almost the end of existence as she knew it. Her family had lost their home, a good chunk of their fortune—although, if she were being honest with herself, they still remained one of the wealthiest families on the coast—and any beliefs she’d ever had about how the world was supposed to work.

Hell, that whole first summer the Pines twins were in Gravity Falls was the start of some deep, raw self-reflection for her. It started with the karaoke night when she first met Mabel; tack on the mini golf game and mansion ghost incident being prerequisites to Bill Cipher ripping a hole in space time and she had been thoroughly rocked to her core.

Leading up to the next summer that the twins stayed in Gravity Falls, she didn’t do a lot of communicating with them. A text message here and there, some comments or likes on social media posts, she may have even gotten a card in the mail for her birthday. 

To be honest, she didn’t really talk to anyone that year. Spending time with Tiffany and Sabrina was different now; somehow she didn’t get as much enjoyment out of mocking others like she used to. As for her parents, they were always out and about and even when they were home everyone just kept to themselves in their own corners of the newer, slightly smaller mansion.

For a long time, she had no one.

She spent that time alone trying to figure out just who she was. She looked back at who she had been her entire life up to that point and didn’t like one single thing anymore. It was more than easy to decide that she had to change, if only for the sake of letting go and moving on from the hell she’d just experienced.

By the time the twins rolled into Gravity Falls again, Pacifica was almost unrecognizable. Still far away from the goals she’d set for herself, but even the little she had changed was incredible.

They got closer that summer. She had written both of them apology letters and hand delivered them in person, explaining her new transformation regimen. Dipper was skeptical at first but eventually saw the proof throughout their summer interactions; Mabel immediately gave her a strangling hug and a cat sticker that said “You’re Prrrrr-fect”.

The third summer followed Pacifica befriending Candy and Grenda during the school year, which brought on many group hangs and sleepovers. Her and Mabel decided that going throughout a whole ten months without talking was not something they wanted this time around so they became pen pals and set up a weekly Skype call. 

The fourth summer her and Mabel were inseparable. Still spending time with Dipper and their other friends, but outside of those interactions they were constantly with the other and made a point to see each other once a day for at least a couple hours. Most times it’d be from sunup to sundown. 

The fifth summer brought the frying pan.

The twins’ bus had just pulled into the station with Soos, Melody, and Pacifica waiting next to the truck to pick them up, and before the driver put it in park Mabel was somehow out the door and giving Pacifica a bone crushing hug, both of them screaming in excitement.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Paz! I missed you SOOOO much!” Mabel squealed, flinging her arms around her neck. 

“I missed you, too! I’m so excited you’re here! Also, I can’t breathe, maybe you could loosen your grip a bit?” she choked out while laughing and patting Mabel on the back.

She quickly let her go, but kept her hands resting on her shoulders, “I’m sorry, I’m just really pumped to be here! And see you! And the Shack! AH!”

She was grinning so wide that her smile was practically taking up her whole face and that’s when Pacifica noticed that something looked different...

“Oh my god! Your braces! They’re gone!”

Mabel smiled even wider, “I know! Just got ‘em off a week ago! It’s like I’m living a whole new life now. Who even was braces Mabel? I don’t know her anymore,” she said dramatically, causing Pacifica to laugh.

“You’re such a dork! But you look amazing! Your teeth are so straight and perfect!” She stared at her for a moment before she finished with, “You’re beautiful.” That last little bit slipped out on it’s own, and the second it left her mouth she shut it tight and her cheeks flared.

Mabel’s smile softened and she tucked her hands into her pockets, “Wow, thank you so much. That was really sweet.” She looked away for a moment and Pacifica could swear that Mabel’s cheeks were a bit rosie, too.

“Um, guys, a little help here!” They both snapped their heads to where Dipper was dragging two suitcases and a backpack that didn’t belong to him along with his own duffel bag, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

“Coming Bro-Bro!” Mabel said, and her and Pacifica began walking over to grab suitcases to load into the bed of Soos’ truck.

——————————————————————————

Pacifica had know for about two years now that she was a lesbian.

Somewhere in between the ages fourteen and fifteen in her journey of self-discovery, dating got thrown into the mix. As if things weren’t complicated enough. She quickly found out that it wasn’t as simple as finding a cute boy and going on a couple dates. Once her two former friends and a lot of her classmates had started dating she sat down and thought about potential guys she knew that she’d be interested in. No boys came to mind, but a handful of girls in her 3rd period PE class did.

Well, shit.

She tried to fight it. Even went on a date with a boy who every girl saw as the dreamboat of their school. By definition, it was a good date. He was really nice, paid for dinner, even went in for the kiss at the end of the night when he walked her up her drive. It didn’t matter; she hadn’t been into it the whole night and when their lips met she knew right then and there that there was no way around it:

She liked girls. A lot.

Fast-forward to now, she had become really comfortable with her sexuality. If Pacifica Northwest was one thing, it was a person who wasn’t going to let the world and her insecurities tell her who to be anymore. She never officially came out to anyone, but after a year of being in the closet she decided she didn’t want to hide anymore. She had only a couple more years in this town anyways before she went to university, and no one cared one bit about what you did there. So she just lived her life, maybe got a bit flirtatious here and there with girls from other schools that would travel to cheer on their teams during football games, but that was it. She never found anyone interesting enough to actually pursue. 

Throughout the summer, Mabel and her did everything they usually did. Tons of sleepovers, days at the pool, mystery monster adventures in the woods, even took the occasional two-hour drive to Cannon Beach for the day. They spent every hour of every day together just like last summer; this time though, Pacifica began to take notice to things she liked most about Mabel more and more each day. 

First it was her smile. Those braces did wonders with her teeth and Pacifica thought she had the most brilliant smile she’d ever seen on anyone. Then it was her hair, and how it was a chocolate brown that would cascade in perfect, soft curls down her back. She found her laugh to be infectious, her skin to be soft, her curves out of this world, her hazel eyes with the green speckles about nearly killed her with each look; but most of all she loved her kind heart towards everyone, especially her. 

The moment she knew she was sunk had come towards the end of summer. Wendy was about to head back to college for the fall and decided to throw one last party in an abandoned barn close to her dad’s cabin. Pacifica, being close with the twins for some time now, was on the guest list. She hadn’t done much partying; not having many friends made that kind of difficult and going to dinner parties with her parents growing up had somewhat ruined the experience for her, but she was actually really excited for this one.

She could hear the music blaring a mile away before she even stepped out of her car. She may have been a bit overdressed for a barn party; Makeup done, nice jeans, off-the-shoulder top, ankle strap sandals, hoop earrings. She wondered if Mabel would think she looked pretty tonight but pushed that thought out of her head as quickly as it came. Mabel was her best friend. She was just excited to see her and end this summer with a bang was all. 

She walked in through the doors and was actually really impressed with how it looked inside. The floor had been swept, instead of hay everywhere there were bales of it spaced nicely for anyone to sit on inside and outside. There were a lot of people there, dancing to the music that was a good mix of new songs and nostalgic ones under lights that weren’t too dark or colorful, but cast the perfect shades of pink and blue. There was a tiny battery operated disco ball in front of the DJ booth that looked a little silly, but Robbie was the one DJ’ing and doing a surprisingly good job of it so, whatever. 

“Pacifica! Glad you could make it!” Wendy said, clapping her on the back with the hand that didn’t have a drink in it.

“Hey Wendy! Great party, this place looks amazing! How’d you swing this?” she said gesturing around her.

“Oh, ya know, ol’ Thompson will do anything for the gang to have a good time when we get back together,” she hooked her thumb towards Thompson who was currently being cheered on to jump from the upper level of the barn onto a whoopee cushion set on the seat of a tractor far below him. 

“Oh dude, no way I gotta see this!” Wendy said quickly heading over to and joining the group of people chanting: “THOMPSON! THOMPSON! THOMPSON!”

She smiled and shook her head, walking around for a bit before finding herself a drink and exploring the barn. She had just finished her first cup when she looked up and saw some familiar guests arrive.

First walked in Dipper, who actually lookedpretty nice. He had really grown up the past few years, passing up Mabel height-wise—much to her disappointment—and growing a little goatee on his chin. His hair was still pretty shaggy though, and Pacifica was surprised to see him without that ear flap cap Wendy had given him a few summers ago. He cleaned up well in his dark jeans and short-sleeve button up shirt.

Mabel trailed behind him, waving at and hugging almost every person they walked past, and Pacifica was pretty sure she was having a stroke based off how her brain had entirely stopped working when she saw her.

She was wearing a simple, spaghetti-strap sundress with a floral pattern and buttons down the front, her hair was in a messy bun showing off her slender neck and shoulders, and she had just the slightest amount of shine on her lips from the gloss that was applied.

Pacifica felt like she was going to die. 

They soon locked eyes and Mabel made a beeline directly to her while Dipper went off and joined Wendy with the group that was now laughing at Thompson’s failed attempt to land correctly on the tractor.

She gave her a hug and stepped back looking her up and down, “Paz, wow, you look incredible! Your makeup is flawless!”

_Breathe you idiot, breathe._

Finally she sucked in some air, “Thanks Mabes, you look amazing, too.” The light scent of her perfume still lingered from the hug, “Like really, really good.”  _Where did that even come from?!_

It was dark, but she could see that there was definitely a blush creeping up Mabel’s cheeks, “Thank you,” she said with smile. There was a long pause between them before Mabel looked down and back up, “Hey, your cup is empty. I was gonna go get a drink—refill yours while I’m over there?”

The adorable head tilt that went along with the question just about had Pacifica collapsed on the ground. Her mouth went dry and all she could do was nod and hold out her cup for Mabel to take from her. Their hands brushing against each other surely didn’t help what appeared to be a lack of oxygen in the barn.

“Sweet, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back and then we can dance!” With that, Mabel turned and started walking over towards the makeshift bar against one of the walls, her swaying hips captivating every bit of Pacifica’s attention.

She stood there for a second lost in a trance before it hit her, hard and without mercy:

She had a crush on Mabel Pines.

“Oh, fu—“


	2. Girl Of Her Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes there’s never been a single doubt in your mind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Mabel backstory & a slightly different POV of the barn party. Also, super important for future works!
> 
> Next up might be when they stop messing around & actually get together. Fingers crossed!

It had been something she’d always known...

One of those ‘there’s not a doubt in my mind that this is someone very special’ type deals...

...almost like when you have this feeling that you’re born with and you just know in your heart that that feeling is pulling you towards your future and nothing can stop you from reaching that future because destiny has ingrained this feeling into your very DNA.

_That_ is exactly how Mabel Pines knew that Pacifica Northwest was the girl of her dreams.

From their first time meeting at the karaoke contest, through the whole business with that silly president dude and the golf game, to the mansion party and  _almost_ end of the world, Mabel knew that there was something special about Pacifica. She was mean, sure, and a bit stuck up, and so rich that she saw everyone to be beneath her, but there was something there; something hiding behind all that money and attitude and insecurity. No one else seemed to see it, but Mabel did.

Throughout every interaction they had she just tried to be kind. It usually never ended well for her, but she kept trying anyway and eventually made some progress with a couple car tacos and the llama sweater. Things officially shifted for the better after everything with Bill, though. The summer after Weirdmageddon, when her and Dipper had come back to stay, Pacifica was a different person.

They hadn’t talked much since they got on that bus back to Piedmont in August, so you could imagine her surprise when Pacifica hand-delivered an apology letter she herself wrote to her and Dipper and explained how this past year had really shown her the kind of person she used to be and how much different that was from who she wanted to be. All Mabel could do was hug her out of pure joy.

They got closer after that, every single year growing more and more together until they were side by side every waking moment during the summers in Oregon. Pacifica had went from being her biggest rival to becoming her best friend. 

——————————————————————————

Mabel never really thought about her sexuality. She liked everyone and everything and that’s just how it had always been for her. At one point in time she remembered hearing the term ‘pansexual’ and asking Dipper if he knew what that meant. He told her and that seemed to make sense, so following the definition he gave she looked at him and promptly said “Well, that’s what I am then!”

He was not surprised in the slightest by that statement and asked excellent follow up questions to how she got to this point,just to understand better and let her verbally process. When it was all said and done, he gave her a smile he saved only for her and told her he loved her no matter what following that up with an awkward sibling hug.

*Pat Pat*

She told her parents and her friends shortly after, all of them being really supportive and understanding. If there was ever a time and place to come out, California in 2015 was it. With this newfound knowledge about herself, Mabel wasted no time in being open to exploring all the different kinds of dating options around her.

She will admit that there was a time in her younger years when the focus was  very  heavily on boys, but once she got into high school things evened out pretty well. She went on dates with guys and girls at her school, even had a couple make-out sessions during those dates. No one had really stuck though, her longest relationship being with a boy from her math class that only lasted for about nine months, unfortunately he turned out to be a bit of a jerk when he found out about Mabel’s other preferences. Oh well, ya can’t win ‘em all. 

The summer she was going on seventeen-years-old was one she was greatly looking forward to. She had just gotten her braces off, she was filling out nicely and growing into a beautiful young woman, and her friendship with Pacifica had grown into something truly special. If she were being honest, she had had a thing for her for quite awhile now. A couple years ago, during one of their weekly Skype calls, Mabel was dreamily watching Pacifica through her computer screen as she recounted some story about a gnome invasion in her school’s cafeteria when she thought to herself:  _Wow brain, when were you going to tell me I’ve been falling in love with this girl this whole_ _time??_

It was like something just clicked in that moment, like she realized something she’d know for almost her whole life. She thought about it for hours even after they’d hung up the call, thinking back to all the summers they’d spent together, all the conversations they’d ever had, and it was true, she’d always had a thing for the snooty-turned-cutie rich girl of Gravity Falls.

_Oof_.  Now how the hell was she supposed to deal with having a crush on a straight girl?

She did a pretty good job of hiding it...for the most part. Occasionally at a sleepover she would get a bit awkward when their conversations had turned to the topic of dating or their current crushes; one more difficult time she’d caught a peek of a lace bra when they were changing into pajamas and she had to excuse herself to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face and calm down. Despite moments like that, she played it off cool as a cucumber, even dropping the name of a classmate or two as her current romantic interests just to throw Pacifica off the trail. 

Lines got a bit more blurred that fifth summer in Gravity Falls. Getting off the bus and seeing Pacifica for the first time in months was beyond exciting. They had had a very brief exchange, ending with an awkward but sweet compliment that seemed to carry a bit more weight than others she’d received from Pacifica in the past. Despite her blush, she just shrugged it off as beginning of summer excitement.

Other moments like that followed. Times when they’d be watching a movie or just walking trails in the woods she’d catch Pacifica staring and then quickly looking away. They’d sit a bit closer together on the couch or in the booths they shared at Greasy’s diner. There’d even been a couple times that Pacifica initiated some extra physical contact, and all of these incidents were accompanied by pink cheeks and hot faces.

The first real moment of suspicion came at Wendy’s end of the summer barn party. When they arrived Mabel had been walking behind Dipper, giving her hellos to everyone they came in contact with when she saw Pacifica across the barn by herself. She eventually looked in her direction and Mabel wasted no time in walking straight to her and giving her a hug. When she stepped back and took her in, she lost all the breath in her lungs.

She was wearing jeans that hugged her in all the right places and an off the shoulder top that was too tempting for its own good. Her hair was straightened and falling in curtains around her shoulders, her nails were painted and her makeup, while not too complex, highlighted so many feminine features of hers that drove Mabel wild. It was a wonder she’d had enough air to breathe out a greeting and a compliment following her hug.

What followed was another one of Pacifica’s questionable compliments and at that moment Mabel had a thought pop into her head:  _Is_ _she flirting with me?_

Holy shit. She had to be. That’s what this whole damn summer had been, just a giant flirt-fest between the two of them and she had somehow missed it. She had to take a walk and think about this for a second, so she pulled out the excuse to get herself a drink and Pacifica a refill before turning around and heading to the other side of the barn where the kegs were at.

So much was swirling around her brain. How was she gonna make her move? Should she even make a move? Was this something that would ruin their friendship? Was it worth that risk?

_Hell yes._

Mabel had officially made up her mind to march back over there and tell Pacifica just how she felt, but when she turned around she saw her talking with some random guy she had never seen before. He was standing pretty close to her, telling her some story that must have been pretty funny because she was laughing hard and grabbing onto his arm while doing so.

“Hey, they look like they’re getting along great. That’s so awesome!” Mabel looked over to her right and saw Wendy also looking at the tragic scene unfolding before her.

She tried to play it cool, “Ha ha, yeah, definitely...who even is that guy?”

“Oh, that’s Brandon, he’s Tambry’s younger brother who just moved back to Gravity Falls. I thought they’d hit it off with each other, so I just introduced them. I guess I was right.” Wendy winked and tapped their plastic cups together before leaning back against the barn wall and nodding her head to the music.

Mabel looked down at her full cup of beer and back up at Pacifica and Brandon who looked like they were having the time of their lives. Maybe she was wrong about the whole flirting thing after all...

With that she sighed and lifted her cup to her lips, downing the whole beer in a matter of seconds.

“Well, fu—“


	3. Ten Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Um, I uh...” It was then that the air between them shifted. The pause and nervousness could only be attributed to one thing, something Pacifica had only had suspicions about but was currently being confirmed. Something that should’ve been said ten months ago. Mabel sighed, “Listen Paz, what I’m about to tell you might seriously mess with our friendship, but after this whole thing I just gotta say it. Please don’t hate me, okay?”
> 
> Pacifica nodded. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 3rd & final chapter of this little story of how they first got together! Let’s see how it all unfolds, shall we?

Quite unusually for them, they didn’t see each other again after that party until Pacifica decided last minute to show up at the bus stop a week later.

Mabel was saying goodbye to Stan and Ford when she saw Pacifica riding her bike down the road towards them. She sighed and walked up to her with a forced smile.

“Hey, you came to say goodbye?”

Pacifica could feel the tension despite the smile plastered on Mabel’s face, “Uh, yeah, of course I did, why wouldn’t I?”

Mabel frowned, “Oh, um, I don’t know, I just thought you’d be busy or something with...you know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m glad you’re here.”

Pacifica looked confused, “What do you mean by—?”

“Mabel! You ready to go?” Dipper called out, he was leaning his head out of the entrance to the bus looking expectantly. 

Mabel looked over at him, “Be right there Bro-Bro!” She turned back to Pacifica and hesitated before suddenly pulling her into tight hug, Pacifica pausing for just a second out of surprise before wrapping her arms around her shoulders and hugging back. After a few moments and a honk from the bus driver, Mabel pulled back and stared at the ground. It was hard to tell, but Pacifica thought she saw her eyes tearing up.

Mabel leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Pacifica’s cheek before whispering goodbye and boarding the bus back to Piedmont, leaving the blonde girl shocked and statue still.

The next ten months had been a hellish time for both of them. The memories of Wendy’s barn party and the week to follow were constantly in both of their heads, playing on an infinite loop of just how wrong the night went. Their weekly Skype calls seemed more awkward, their texting wasn’t as lively or fun as it had been before, and not once did either of them bring up anything about the past summer. Despite all of that, the feelings they had for each other never went away, just were pushed down and grew into more. 

By the time Dipper and Mabel were in Gravity Falls for the summer before their senior year of high school, both girls were unsure of where they stood with each other. They still hung out but it was almost too quiet at times, their days of adventures turning into just Mabel knitting and Pacifica on her phone.

It was on the 4th of July that Pacifica had about had enough. The girls were sitting awkwardly silent amidst Dipper and their friends’ conversations before the town’s fireworks were going to start when they accidentally made eye contact and Mabel quickly looked away, finally pushing Pacifica over the edge.

“Mabel, can you come with me to the car real quick to grab more drinks?” She said between gritted teeth.

Mabel looked down at her full drink then looked up at her with a confused expression, “But our drinks are—“

“Almost empty. Now, please?” There was urgency in her voice and no one else was paying attention except for Dipper. Mabel looked his way and he gave an encouraging nod before both girls stood up and started walking away from their blanket spot. 

They were walking along the road towards their car when Pacifica suddenly grabbed Mabel’s hand and turned, walking down an alley way behind an old building and backing Mabel up against the brick wall. 

“Hey, this isn’t the car—“

“What is going on here?! Why have things been so weird with us?!” She asked suddenly, gesturing between the two of them. 

Mabel looked stunned for a second but recovered quickly and broke eye contact, “I don’t know what you mean,” she mumbled. 

“Mabel Pines, you know damn well what I mean. Since last summer there’s been this weird sort of, I don’t know, tension between us. I don’t know where it came from but to be honest it’s really pissing me off!” She hadn’t meant to start raising her voice, but her emotions were getting the best of her right now and she wanted answers.

Mabel stood up a little straighter, “Oh, it’s pissing _you_ off?? Well, by all means let’s drop everything we’re doing to deal with what’s pissing you off. Never mind that anyone else in the situation might be upset, Paz has got way bigger problems in her perfect life with her new perfect boyfriend!”

Pacifica was boiling. “I never came here to downplay what’s going on with you, I came to get answers for what’s going on with  US ! And you of all people should know that I don’t have close to the perfect life or the perfect—“ She stopped when it finally registered, “...did you say boyfriend?”

Mabel folded her arms across her chest, voice still raised, “Yeah, I did! Brian or whatever the hell his name is, I don’t know!” She looked away and huffed in frustration.

If Pacifica was confused before she was absolutely lost now, “You mean Brandon?”

“The guy that was all over you at that dumb party we went to last summer! I went to get us drinks and turned around to see you guys laughing and hugging and all sorts of stuff!” Her voice was getting so shaky and high pitched as she yelled recalling that night that she had to turn around, almost on the verge of tears. 

The reaction to that that Mabel was expecting was not the one she got. While she was expecting an apology or an explanation of some sort, the only reply she received was laughter. She whipped her head around to see Pacifica doubled over with tears in her eyes, belly-laughing so hard she could barely get a breath in.

Mabel’s face turned red, “What is so goddamn funny?!”

“You—Brandon—think he’s my—boyfriend?!” With that she started laughing even harder, and eventually backed herself into the other wall to support herself still standing.

Mabel was trying to make sense of all this, “Well, yeah, isn’t he?? I see you two hanging out all the time, posting pictures together, what else would he be?”

Pacifica was able to calm down enough to breathe and reply, “Mabel, Brandon is gay. Like, really really gay.”

Mable was dumbfounded. “Wait, what??”

***

_Ten Months Ago..._

“Yo, Pacifica, this is Brandon. He’s Tambry’s brother and just moved back here, I think he’s gonna be in your class. Thought I’d introduce you two.” With that and a sly wink, Wendy walked off in the same direction Mabel went just a few seconds ago.

Pacifica looked over confused to see a tall, good-looking guy with brown hair and glasses. He seemed completely uninterested in being here and it definitely came out in his tone, “Hey, I’m Brandon. Nice to meet you, or whatever...what’s your name again?”

Oh, she was having none of this. She’d come a long way since she was twelve, but occasionally the snippiness of old Pacifica came out. “Wow. What an enthusiastic introduction. I’m Pacifica. Look dude, you clearly don’t want to be here talking to me right now so why don’t you just walk away. I’m waiting for my girlfriend anyways—“ it took her a second to realize what just came out of her mouth, “ _Friend_!  I meant friend...” She was mortified.

“Wait—did you say girlfriend?? Oh my god, this is such a relief.” Brandon exhaled and immediately took on a different demeanor. He now had a kind smile and was much more relaxed and engaging. “I’m sorry about being a dick earlier. Wendy has been telling me she’s gonna set me up with you but I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m not interested because I’m gay and have a boyfriend. I was just gonna blow you off but then you said the girlfriend thing and—shit, I’m sorry I’m rambling. You’re just like the only other gay person I’ve met here and I’m relieved.”

Pacifica was stunned for a second, “That is...actually really hilarious.” She then started laughing at the whole situation. Brandon’s gay, she’s a lesbian, Wendy thinks both of them are straight and tried to set them up? Priceless.

Brandon started laughing too and before they knew it they were gripping onto each other to try and keep from falling down. “Oh man, I can’t believe this. Mark is gonna die.” Brandon pulled out his phone and started typing out a message. 

“Is Mark your boyfriend?” Pacifica asked. Brandon was actually pretty cool when he wasn’t being a standoff-ish prick, maybe he could be a good friend. 

“Oh, yeah, we’ve been dating for a few months now. He’s back in New Mexico where I’ve been living with my dad but my parents decided to send me back here to spend my senior year with my mom. I love my mom but why my last year of high school? Ridiculous.” He finished his message and went to put his phone away before stopping himself, “Yo, lemme get your number. Since we’re the only non-straight people in this town we should stick together! Talk about Mark and...who’d you say your girlfriend was again?”

Pacifica took the phone and put in her number, “Ya know, we’re not the _only_ gay people here. The town’s two cops actually got a thing for each other. And, she’s not really my girlfriend, she’s my best friend. She should be coming back with drinks any second now, actually! Her name is—“ Pacifica turned to look around but didn’t see the girl in question anywhere. “Mabel?”

She had completely disappeared. Didn’t come back at all with drinks or to even say goodbye. Once she’d finished her conversation with Brandon she found Dipper and asked him if he knew where Mabel had gone. He just shook his head but quickly glanced at the barn entrance while doing it, giving away what Pacifica already knew which was that he was lying to cover for his sister. Good brother, but not helpful to her.

They didn’t see each other the rest of the night or the week leading up to the twins’ trip back to Piedmont.   
  


***

Mabel just stood there with a blank expression on her face. Brandon was not Pacifica’s boyfriend.  _Brandon was not Pacifica’s boyfriend!_

“Wow,” she said quietly. “I thought this whole time you guys were dating and it really hurt my feelings. I should’ve just asked instead of assuming. I’m really sorry, Paz. Can you forgive me?”

Pacifica smiled and hugged her, “Of course I forgive you, Mabes. Let’s just not do that ever again, okay?”

“Agreed.”

They stayed hugging for awhile and when they finally let go Pacifica had a moment to think about something. “Why were you so upset, anyway?”

“Um, I uh...” It was then that the air between them shifted. The pause and nervousness could only be attributed to one thing, something Pacifica had only had suspicions about but was currently being confirmed. Something that should’ve been said ten months ago. Mabel sighed, “Listen Pacifica, what I’m about to tell you might seriously mess with our friendship, but after this whole thing I just gotta say it. Please don’t hate me, okay?”

Pacifica nodded. “Okay.”

She took a deep breath and went for it, “How I feel about you, and how I’ve been feeling about you, is as more than just a friend. I know that that’s probably super weird, but it’s true.” She was looking down at the ground unable to meet her eyes.

There was a long bit of silence that Mabel thought for sure was the lead up to their newly mended friendship ending, but instead Pacifica started grinning and quietly said, “Mabel, I feel the same way.”

Mabel snapped her head up, “What?”

“Um yeah,” Pacifica started while grabbing Mabel’s hands, “I’ve felt the same way about you for like a year now. Maybe longer.”

Mabel beamed and started jumping up and down, moving Pacifica’s arms with her, “No way, no way, no way!” Suddenly she stopped, “Wait, I thought you were straight??”

Pacifica shook her head, “Definitely not. I’ve known I was a lesbian for at least three years now. Have we seriously never talked about this??”

“No! I only ever heard about the one date you went on with that guy!”

Pacifica rolled her eyes, “Ugh, that. I mean he was nice and all but kissing boys is gross and I’m not about it.” She looked Mabel up and down and took a step closer, “Kissing girls though, now that’s something I hear is worth while.”

She had this look in her eyes, one that Mabel felt drawing her in. She sucked in a much needed breath of air. “I-I couldn’t agree more.”

All it took after that was one glance downward at a pair of plump lips for Mabel to surge forward and capture Pacifica’s with her own. It was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced. Pacifica had never kissed anyone other than that random boy, and that was _nothing_ like what was happening now. Similarly, Mabel had never in her countless kisses with boys and girls came close to feeling how she was feeling in this moment. _Wow._

Next thing she knew, Pacifica was being backed into the brick wall behind her, Mabel’s lips sliding across her own aided by the strawberry lipgloss she had put on before heading out that evening. Hands started traveling up her back and burying themselves into her hair giving small tugs here and there that were driving her crazy.She sighed with content as she put everything she had into this kiss, losing herself in the physical feeling of Mabel’s body pressing against her own. Her hands began to roam as well, and found themselves sliding their way up and underneath Mabel’s star-spangled tank top before the brunette abruptly broke the kiss and gently grabbed them to keep them from going any further. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Mabel said, eyes still closed and breathless. 

“What? Did I do something wrong? I’m so sorry, I—“ Pacifica was stopped with a quick kiss and after when she slowly opened her eyes again she saw a flushed-cheek goddess giving her a soft smile. 

“No, oh god no you didn’t do anything wrong, please don’t apologize. You were doing everything right, trust me.” Pacifica felt a sense of pride in hearing those words and felt Mabel lifting her hands up to her mouth and placing a kiss on the back of them. “I just don’t want anything more to happen right now when we’re in some dirty alley behind a random building. I can think of so many better places where you deserve to be kissed.”

Pacifica nodded and smiled, “I totally agree,” and brought her into a tight hug.

They stayed like that for awhile before Mabel broke the silence, “Hey, so you’re like my girlfriend now, right?”

Pacifica squeezed tighter, “Of course I am.”

By the time they got back to the blanket with their friends, the fireworks had already started. No one seemed to notice how their fingers were tightly intertwined, or how they were sitting pressed up against each other from shoulder to hip while sitting down, or even the small kiss that Pacifica stole halfway through the grand finale of the light show above them.

No one noticed at all, except for Dipper, who just shook his head smiling, the girls only managing to catch an added, mumbled, “—ckin’ finally...”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I always love hearing from you, so never be shy to comment your thoughts & feelings!
> 
> Got ideas? Drop them below & let’s see if we can’t work something out!
> 
> Best Wishes,  
> OhNoCows


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